Bearing



A. L. LEE

May 11, 1948.

BEARING Original Filed April 6, 1945 /Nl/ENTOE; AETHUE L. LEE,

Patented May 11, 1948 2,44 1,495 BEARING Arthur L. Lee, Upper Arlington, Ohio, assignor to Thejefl'rey Manufacturing Company, a corporation of Ohio Original application April 6, 1945, Serial. No. 588,979. Divided and this application June 25, 194.6, Serial No. 679,302

2 Claims. (Cl. 308.18"l.1)

This invention relates to a mining machine. An object of the invention is to provide a minin machine with a readily removable bearing block which holds a rotor shaft bearing and is preferably held against rotation by automatically acting retention means.

Other objects of the invention will appear hereinafter, the novel features and combinations being set forth in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings,

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of the shortwall type mining machine herein disclosed which incorporates the features of my invention, the cutter bar being shown cut short;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged partial side elevational view, with parts broken away and'shown in vertical section;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view sh'owing particularly the structure and mounting of the generally cylindrical rotor bearing block of the mining machine motor; and

Fig. 4 is an elevational view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3, with the shaft and locking pin shown in section.

This appplication is a division of my application Serial No. 586,979, filed April 6, 1945, entitled Mining machine.

Referring to the drawings, it will be seen that the machine includes a main frame 40 which in practice is preferably formed of two substantially independent frames including a forward motor frame or section M and a rearward machinery frame or section 42, the two frames or sections 4| and 42 being removably connected together as by machine screws or bolts.

Removably attached to the rear end of the machinery frame or section 42 is a gummer, bugduster or cuttings removing mechanism 43 which may be optionally employed or omitted. Extending forwardly from the motor frame or section 4| is a kerf-cutting mechanism 44 including an elongated cutter bar 45 which is of substantially standard construction except for the rear end portion and upon which there is mounted an endless cutter chain 48 provided with removable and reversible cutter bits 41.

As is well known, the shortwall type of mining machine is adapted to be fed as a unit over the mine floor while cutting a kerf, the kerf being cut by first sumping the cutter bar into the solid coal and then feeding the machine laterally or across the coal face, all the while the kerf-cutting mechanism 44 is in operation.

To effect the feeding of the mining machine as a unit, both at a kerf-cutting speed and at a 2 handling or higher speed and in reverse directions, the machine includes a pair of feed cable or rope drums on opposite sides thereof mounted on aligned horizontal axes, one of which drums is seen at 48 in Fig. 1 of the drawings.

The mining machine is adapted to rest on and slide over the mine floor when in operation and the supporting surfaces of the machine are provided largely by four spaced hydraulic piston jacks or motors, there being two at the rear designated 51 and two at the front designated 58 These hydraulic jacks provide for adjusting the elevation of the cutter mechanism 44 or, inother words, the effective height of the machine and also provide for adjusting the inclination or tilt thereof on right angularly related axes relative to a horizontal plane. I Extending from the motor section 4I into the machinery section 42 is the end of a drive shaft 59. Keyed adjacent the end of the shaft 59 is a pinion 8i which meshes with a larger pinion 82 keyed to a shaft 83, the gears 8| and 82 constituting elements of a gear train which leads to the drive mechanism for the cutter chain 48 and for the feed drums, one of which is seen at 48, as well as for the bugduster 48, all as disclosed in full detail in my above identified parent application.

Within the enclosure provided by the casting frame or housing 4| is a rotor or armature of the mining machine driving motor, The frame 4i is primarily of magnetic material, such as iron, to' provide a magnetic path for the flux of said driving motor. The rotor or armature is mounted on a hollow or tubular rotor or armature shaft I58 which at its rear is supported on a roller bearing I 51 which is supported in a generally cylindrical bearing block, cartridge or retainer I58 which is mounted in a cup I59 formed integral with the frame 4|. The block or cartridge I58 is provided with a pair of oil seal piston rings I80 which cooperate with the inner cylindrical surface of the cup i 59.

Bearing block or cartridge I58 is slidable with a front cover plate IN and elevating the front end with respect to the cutter bar by expanding front jacks 58.

The grooved seal ring I82 cooperates with the 3 adjacent surface formed by a hole in the forward vertical wall of the frame 52, through which the pinion 6i extends and thus reaches the machinery or gearing within said enclosure or compartment 42. No attempt is made'to provide an oil tight seal at this place.

The structure of the cartridge or hearing block I58 and associated mechanism provides an important part of my invention and allows for the ready removal of the rotor or armature, together with its easy re-insertion. This is also described in my parent application and in my co-pending application, Serial No. 679,303, filed June 25, 1946.

To this end, the cup I59 is tapered at its inner right hand end to guide the block or cartridge I58 into place and to compress the piston rings I80. Furthermore, it is desirable that the block or cartridge I58 be held against rotation to prevent damage to it, and I have provided automatic means to do this which at the same time will provide for its ready insertion without requiring accurate alignment. The rearward outer cylindrical surface of the block I58 is provided with a plurality of spaced notches I 63, any one of which is adapted to receive a locking pin I54 which is urged into an aligned notch I63 by a spring I85. The pin I54 and spring I 85 are carried in an appropriate pocket formed in the machinery frame 42, and the pin I55 extends not only into any one of the notches I55, but also into a notch I 66 formed in the cup I59.

When the block or cartridge I58 is inserted into the cup I59, it may be that none of the notches I63 is in alignment with the pin I64. If this is true, the pin I54 will merely be depressed against the spring I 55 and when the unit is placed in operation, if there is any creepage between the block or cartridge I58 and the cup I58, a notch I53 will come into alignment with the pin I85 and it will snap into said notch, thereby holding the block or cartridge I58 against rotation with respect to the cup I 59.

The block or cartridge I58 is provided with a pair of adjacent oil seals I82 which prevent entrance of oil into the interior of the motor cas- 4 ing. Any small leakage which may get by the seals I 82 is drained by a passageway I83, which includes a peripheral groove I84 about the outer surface of the block I55 and between the two piston rings I50.

Obviously those skilled in the art may make various changes in the details and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the claims hereto appended, and I therefore wish not to be restricted to the precise construction herein disclosed.

Having thus described and shown an embodiment of my invention, what I desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A mining machine including a frame, a motor having a rotor shaft, means for supporting said rotor shaft in said frame including a cup formed in said frame, a bearing block slidably carried in said cup, piston rings carried by said block and cooperating with said cup to form an oil seal, an oil drain groove between said rings, and a bearing supporting said rotor shaft from said bearing block.

2. A mining machine including a frame, a motor having a rotor shaft, means for supporting said rotor shaft in said frame including a cup formed in said frame, a bearing block slidably carried in said cup, piston rings carried by said block and cooperating with said cup to form an oil seal, and a bearing supporting said rotor shaft from said bearing block.

ARTHUR L. LEE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,355,652 Coppus et al. Oct. 12, 1920 1,781,467 Madsen Nov. 11, 1930 1,906,243 Baninger May 2, 1933 1,973,047 Brown Sept. 11, 1934 2,246,106 Patt June 17, 1941 

